Perryville Gas Storage LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Crowville Salt Dome Storage Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of Public Scoping Meeting and Site Visit, 32151-32153 [E9-15898]
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Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 128 / Tuesday, July 7, 2009 / Notices
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. CP09–418–000]
Perryville Gas Storage LLC; Notice of
Intent To Prepare an Environmental
Assessment for the Proposed
Crowville Salt Dome Storage Project
and Request for Comments on
Environmental Issues, and Notice of
Public Scoping Meeting and Site Visit
June 26, 2009.
The staff of the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) will prepare an
environmental assessment (EA) that will
discuss the environmental impacts of
the Crowville Salt Dome Storage Project
(Project) involving construction and
operation of facilities by Perryville Gas
Storage LLC (Perryville) in Franklin and
Richland Parishes, Louisiana. This EA
will be used by the Commission in its
decisionmaking process to determine
whether the project is in the public
convenience and necessity.
This notice announces the opening of
the scoping process we will use to
gather input from the public and
interested agencies on the project. Your
input will help the Commission staff
determine what issues need to be
evaluated in the EA. Please note that the
scoping period will close on July 27,
2009.
Comments may be submitted in
written form or verbally. Further details
on how to submit written comments are
provided in the public participation
section of this notice. In lieu of sending
written comments, we invite you to
attend the public scoping meeting we
have scheduled as follows: FERC Public
Scoping Meeting, Crowville Salt Dome
Storage Project, Tuesday, July 14, 2009,
7 p.m., Crockett Point Baptist Church,
139 Crockett Point Church Road,
Winnsboro, Louisiana 71295.
Interested groups and individuals are
encouraged to attend the meeting and to
present comments on the environmental
issues they believe should be addressed
in the EA. A transcript of the meeting
will be generated so that your comments
will be accurately recorded.
In addition, on July 14, 2009, the
FERC staff will conduct a public site
visit to view the proposed facility
locations and pipeline route.
Examination will be by automobile and
on foot. Representatives of Perryville
will be accompanying the FERC staff.
All interested parties may attend. Those
planning to attend must provide their
own transportation and should meet at
the Crockett Point Baptist Church at 1
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14:45 Jul 06, 2009
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p.m., at the address listed above. For
additional information, you may contact
the Commission’s Office of External
Affairs at 1–866–208–FERC (3372).
This notice is being sent to affected
landowners; Federal, State, and local
government representatives and
agencies; elected officials;
environmental and public interest
groups; Native American Tribes; parties
to this proceeding; and local libraries
and newspapers. State and local
government representatives are asked to
notify their constituents of this
proposed project and encourage them to
comment on their areas of concern.
If you are a landowner receiving this
notice, you may be contacted by a
pipeline company representative about
the acquisition of an easement to
construct, operate, and maintain the
proposed facilities. The company would
seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable
agreement. However, if the project is
approved by the Commission, that
approval conveys with it the right of
eminent domain. Therefore, if easement
negotiations fail to produce an
agreement, the pipeline company could
initiate condemnation proceedings in
accordance with State law.
A fact sheet prepared by the FERC
entitled ‘‘An Interstate Natural Gas
Facility On My Land? What Do I Need
To Know?’’ was attached to the project
notice Perryville provided to
landowners. This fact sheet addresses a
number of typically asked questions,
including the use of eminent domain
and how to participate in the
Commission’s proceedings. It is also
available for viewing on the FERC Web
site (https://www.ferc.gov).
Summary of the Proposed Project
Perryville requests authorization to
construct, own and operate a new
natural gas storage facility in the
Crowville Salt Dome, as well as related
facilities in Franklin and Richland
Parishes, Louisiana. Upon completion of
the proposed facilities, the Project
would provide a total of 15 billion cubic
feet (Bcf) of natural gas storage working
capacity in two salt caverns, with a
maximum injection rate of up to 226
million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) and
a maximum withdrawal rate of 600
MMcf/d.
According to Perryville, its project
would provide necessary gas
infrastructure, add new competitive
storage facilities to the U.S. natural gas
market, and support further
development of domestic gas
production in the Gulf Coast and MidContinent regions.
The Crowville Gas Storage Project
would consist of the following facilities:
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32151
• Two 7.5 billion cubic feet (Bcf)
working gas capacity natural gas storage
caverns connected to 1000 feet of utility
corridor for an 8-inch-diameter
freshwater pipeline, an 8-inch-diameter
brine pipeline, a 14-inch-diameter
natural gas pipeline, and a permanent
access road;
• 2.6 miles of 24-inch-diameter
pipeline to deliver to CenterPoint
Energy Gas Transmission Company and
11.8 miles of 36-inch-diameter pipeline
to deliver to Columbia Gulf
Transmission;
• One 9,500 horsepower compressor
station facility and multi-purpose
buildings;
• Leaching facilities with 0.8 mile of
20-inch-diameter brine pipeline and 14inch-diameter freshwater pipeline
connecting to three brine settling ponds;
• Two 20-inch-diameter brine
disposal pipelines (2.3 miles and 0.9
mile) connecting to five brine disposal
well pads; and
• About ten access roads, a wareyard,
and four freshwater supply wells.
The general location of the project
facilities is shown in appendix 1.1
Land Requirements for Construction
Construction of the Natural Gas
Handling Facilities would disturb about
39 acres, including land for the two
storage caverns, the compressor station,
a 100-foot-wide utility corridor,
leaching plant, and 4 freshwater supply
wells. The leaching facilities would
disturb an additional 30 acres of land
for the brine disposal ponds and brine
and water pipelines. Construction of the
brine disposal wells would disturb a
total of 12.7 acres (2.54 acres for each
of 5 wells), while operation of the brine
disposal wells would be limited to a
total of 1.4 acres (0.28 acre per well).
The first pipeline corridor would
consist of 2.6 miles of a 150-foot-wide
corridor (for two pipelines), while the
second corridor would disturb an
additional 9.2 miles of 125-foot-wide
corridor. The total acreage for
construction of the pipelines would be
about 188 acres. Following construction,
about 88.5 acres would be maintained
for 75- and 60-foot-wide permanent
pipeline rights-of-way; the remaining
acreage would be restored and allowed
to revert to former uses. About 10 miles
of the proposed pipeline route parallels
1 The appendices referenced in this notice are not
being printed in the Federal Register. Copies of
appendices were sent to all those receiving this
notice in the mail and are available at https://
www.ferc.gov using the link called ‘‘eLibrary’’ or
from the Commission’s Public Reference Room, 888
First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426, or call
(202) 502–8371. For instructions on connecting to
eLibrary, refer to the last page of this notice.
E:\FR\FM\07JYN1.SGM
07JYN1
32152
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 128 / Tuesday, July 7, 2009 / Notices
an existing Columbia Gulf natural gas
pipeline right-of-way.
The EA Process
The National Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA) requires the Commission to
take into account the environmental
impacts that could result from an action
whenever it considers the issuance of a
Certificate of Public Convenience and
Necessity. NEPA also requires us to
discover and address concerns the
public may have about proposals. This
process is referred to as ‘‘scoping’’. The
main goal of the scoping process is to
focus the analysis in the EA on the
important environmental issues. By this
notice, the Commission requests public
comments on the scope of the issues to
address in the EA. All comments
received will be considered during the
preparation of the EA.
In the EA we 2 will discuss impacts
that could occur as a result of the
construction and operation of the
proposed project under these general
headings:
• Geology and soils;
• Land use;
• Water resources, fisheries, and
wetlands;
• Cultural resources;
• Vegetation and wildlife;
• Air quality and noise;
• Endangered and threatened species;
• Hazardous waste; and
• Public safety.
We will also evaluate possible
alternatives to the proposed project or
portions of the project, and make
recommendations on how to lessen or
avoid impacts on the various resource
areas.
Our independent analysis of the
issues will be presented in the EA.
Depending on the comments received
during the scoping process, the EA may
be published and mailed to those on our
environmental mailing list (see
discussion of how to remain on our
mailing list on page 6). A comment
period will be allotted for review if the
EA is published. We will consider all
comments on the EA before we make
our recommendations to the
Commission. To ensure your comments
are considered, please carefully follow
the instructions in the Public
Participation section below.
With this notice, we are asking
agencies with jurisdiction and/or
special expertise with respect to
environmental issues to formally
cooperate with us in the preparation of
the EA. These agencies may choose to
2 ‘‘We’’, ‘‘us’’, and ‘‘our’’ refer to the
environmental staff of the Commission’s Office of
Energy Projects.
VerDate Nov<24>2008
14:45 Jul 06, 2009
Jkt 217001
participate once they have evaluated the
proposal relative to their
responsibilities. Agencies that would
like to request cooperating agency status
should follow the instructions for filing
comments provided under the Public
Participation section of this notice.
Public Participation
You can make a difference by
providing us with your specific
comments or concerns about the project.
Your comments should focus on the
potential environmental effects,
reasonable alternatives, and measures to
avoid or lessen environmental impacts.
The more specific your comments, the
more useful they will be. To ensure that
your written comments are timely and
properly recorded, please send in your
comments so that they will be received
in Washington, DC on or before July 27,
2009.
For your convenience, there are three
methods which you can use to submit
your written comments to the
Commission. The Commission
encourages electronic filing of
comments and has expert eFiling staff
available to assist you at 202–502–8258
or efiling@ferc.gov.
(1) You may file your comments
electronically by using the Quick
Comment feature, which is located at
https://www.ferc.gov under the link
called ‘‘Documents and Filings’’. A
Quick Comment is an easy method for
interested persons to submit text-only
comments on a project;
(2) You may file your comments
electronically by using the ‘‘eFiling’’
feature that is listed under the
‘‘Documents and Filings’’ link. eFiling
involves preparing your submission in
the same manner as you would if filing
on paper, and then saving the file on
your computer’s hard drive. You will
attach that file to your submission. New
eFiling users must first create an
account by clicking on the links called
‘‘Sign up’’ or ‘‘eRegister’’. You will be
asked to select the type of filing you are
making. A comment on a particular
project is considered a ‘‘Comment on a
Filing’’; or
(3) You may file your comments with
the Commission via mail by sending an
original and two copies of your letter to:
Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission, 888
First Street, NE., Room 1A, Washington,
DC 20426.
In all instances, please reference the
project docket number CP09–418–000
with your submission. Label one copy of
the comments for the attention of Gas
Branch 2, PJ–11.2.
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Environmental Mailing List
An effort is being made to send this
notice to all individuals, organizations,
and government entities interested in
and/or potentially affected by the
proposed project. This includes all
landowners who are potential right-ofway grantors, whose property may be
used temporarily for project purposes,
or who own homes within certain
distances of aboveground facilities (as
defined in the Commission’s
regulations).
If you do not want to send comments
at this time but still want to remain on
our mailing list, please return the
Information Request (appendix 2). If you
do not return the Information Request,
you will be taken off the mailing list.
Becoming an Intervenor
In addition to involvement in the EA
scoping process, you may want to
become an ‘‘intervenor,’’ which is an
official party to the Commission’s
proceeding. Intervenors play a more
formal role in the process and are able
to file briefs, appear at hearings, and be
heard by the courts if they choose to
appeal the Commission’s final ruling.
An intervenor formally participates in
the proceeding by filing a request to
intervene. Instructions for becoming an
intervenor are included in the User’s
Guide under the ‘‘e-filing’’ link on the
Commission’s Web site.
Additional Information
Additional information about the
project is available from the
Commission’s Office of External Affairs,
at 1–866–208–FERC or on the Internet at
https://www.ferc.gov using the
‘‘eLibrary’’ link. Click on the eLibrary
link, click on ‘‘General Search’’ and
enter the docket number, excluding the
last three digits, in the Docket Number
field. Be sure you have selected an
appropriate date range. For assistance,
please contact FERC Online Support at
FercOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or toll free
at 1–866–208–3676, or for TTY, contact
(202)502–8659. The eLibrary link also
provides access to the texts of formal
documents issued by the Commission,
such as orders, notices, and
rulemakings.
In addition, the Commission now
offers a free service called eSubscription
which allows you to keep track of all
formal issuances and submittals in
specific dockets. This can reduce the
amount of time you spend researching
proceedings by automatically providing
you with notification of these filings,
document summaries and direct links to
the documents. Go to https://
www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.
E:\FR\FM\07JYN1.SGM
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Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 128 / Tuesday, July 7, 2009 / Notices
Finally, public meetings or site visits
will be posted on the Commission’s
calendar located at https://www.ferc.gov/
EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx along
with other related information.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E9–15898 Filed 7–6–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. NP09–26–000]
North American Electric Reliability
Corporation; Notice of Filing
Regarding Notice of Penalty and
Request for Decision on Jurisdiction
Issue
June 26, 2009.
Take notice that on June 24, 2009, the
North American Electric Reliability
Corporation (NERC) submitted a Notice
of Penalty regarding U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers (Corps) Tulsa District in the
Texas Regional Entity region. NERC’s
filing includes a discussion of the
applicability of mandatory Reliability
Standards to the Corps Tulsa District.
NERC states that the Corps Tulsa
District has challenged NERC’s
jurisdiction under section 215 of the
Federal Power Act (FPA). Therefore,
NERC requests that the Commission
issue a decision on the jurisdictional
issue regarding the applicability
mandatory Reliability Standards under
section 215 of the FPA to the Corps and
other Federal agencies. Accordingly,
public comment is sought regarding the
applicability of mandatory Reliability
Standards under section 215 of the FPA
to the Corps and other Federal agencies.
Any person desiring to intervene or to
protest this filing must file in
accordance with Rules 211 and 214 of
the Commission’s Rules of Practice and
Procedure (18 CFR 385.211, 385.214).
Protests will be considered by the
Commission in determining the
appropriate action to be taken, but will
not serve to make protestants parties to
the proceeding. Any person wishing to
become a party must file a notice of
intervention or motion to intervene, as
appropriate. Such notices, motions, or
protests must be filed on or before the
comment date. On or before the
comment date, it is not necessary to
serve motions to intervene or protests
on persons other than the Applicant.
The Commission encourages
electronic submission of protests and
interventions in lieu of paper using the
VerDate Nov<24>2008
14:45 Jul 06, 2009
Jkt 217001
‘‘eFiling’’ link at https://www.ferc.gov.
Persons unable to file electronically
should submit an original and 14 copies
of the protest or intervention to the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,
888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC
20426.
This filing is accessible on-line at
https://www.ferc.gov, using the
‘‘eLibrary’’ link and is available for
review in the Commission’s Public
Reference Room in Washington, DC.
There is an ‘‘eSubscription’’ link on the
Web site that enables subscribers to
receive e-mail notification when a
document is added to a subscribed
docket(s). For assistance with any FERC
Online service, please e-mail
FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov, or call
(866) 208–3676 (toll free). For TTY, call
(202) 502–8659.
Comment Date: 5 p.m. Eastern Time
on July 24, 2009.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E9–15896 Filed 7–6–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Project No. 13442–000]
McGinnis, Inc.; Notice of Preliminary
Permit Application Accepted for Filing
and Soliciting Comments, Motions To
Intervene, and Competing Applications
June 26, 2009.
On April 29, 2009, McGinnis, Inc.
filed an application, pursuant to section
4(f) of the Federal Power Act (FPA),
proposing to study the feasibility of the
Robert C. Byrd Hydrokinetic Project No.
13442, to be located on the Ohio River,
in Mason County, West Virginia, and
Gallia County, Ohio.
The proposed Robert C. Byrd Project
would be located just downstream of the
Robert C. Byrd Lock and Dam in an area
of the Ohio River approximately 9,500feet-long and 1,100-feet-wide and would
consist of: (1) A single barge suspending
up to 10 axial flow turbine generators
into the river with a total installed
capacity of 350 kilowatts; (2) a new 300
to 8,000-foot-long, 13.5-kV transmission
line; and (3) appurtenant facilities. The
project would have an estimated average
annual generation of 1,533 megawatthours.
Applicant Contact: Mr. Bruce D.
McGinnis, Sr., P.O. Box 534, 502
Second Street Ext., South Point, Ohio
45680, (740) 377–4391.
PO 00000
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32153
FERC Contact: Tom Dean, (202) 502–
6041.
Deadline for filing comments, motions
to intervene, competing applications
(without notices of intent), or notices of
intent to file competing applications: 60
days from the issuance of this notice.
Comments, motions to intervene,
notices of intent, and competing
applications may be filed electronically
via the Internet. See 18 CFR
385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions
on the Commission’s Web site under the
‘‘eFiling’’ link. If unable to be filed
electronically, documents may be paperfiled. To paper-file, an original and eight
copies should be mailed to: Kimberly D.
Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, 888 First
Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426. For
more information on how to submit
these types of filings please go to the
Commission’s Web site located at
https://www.ferc.gov/filingcomments.asp. More information about
this project can be viewed or printed on
the ‘‘eLibrary’’ link of the Commission’s
Web site at
https://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/
elibrary.asp. Enter the docket number
(P–13442) in the docket number field to
access the document. For assistance,
call toll-free 1–866–208–3372.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E9–15897 Filed 7–6–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
[EPA–HQ–OECA–2008–0281; FRL–8927–1]
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Submission to OMB for
Review and Approval; Comment
Request; NESHAP for Publicly Owned
Treatment Works (Renewal), EPA ICR
Number 1891.05, OMB Control Number
2060–0428
AGENCY: Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
SUMMARY: In compliance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C.
3501 et seq.), this document announces
that an Information Collection Request
(ICR) has been forwarded to the Office
of Management and Budget (OMB) for
review and approval. This is a request
to renew an existing approved
collection. The ICR, which is abstracted
below, describes the nature of the
collection and the estimated burden and
cost.
E:\FR\FM\07JYN1.SGM
07JYN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 128 (Tuesday, July 7, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32151-32153]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-15898]
[[Page 32151]]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP09-418-000]
Perryville Gas Storage LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Crowville Salt Dome Storage
Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of
Public Scoping Meeting and Site Visit
June 26, 2009.
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will
discuss the environmental impacts of the Crowville Salt Dome Storage
Project (Project) involving construction and operation of facilities by
Perryville Gas Storage LLC (Perryville) in Franklin and Richland
Parishes, Louisiana. This EA will be used by the Commission in its
decisionmaking process to determine whether the project is in the
public convenience and necessity.
This notice announces the opening of the scoping process we will
use to gather input from the public and interested agencies on the
project. Your input will help the Commission staff determine what
issues need to be evaluated in the EA. Please note that the scoping
period will close on July 27, 2009.
Comments may be submitted in written form or verbally. Further
details on how to submit written comments are provided in the public
participation section of this notice. In lieu of sending written
comments, we invite you to attend the public scoping meeting we have
scheduled as follows: FERC Public Scoping Meeting, Crowville Salt Dome
Storage Project, Tuesday, July 14, 2009, 7 p.m., Crockett Point Baptist
Church, 139 Crockett Point Church Road, Winnsboro, Louisiana 71295.
Interested groups and individuals are encouraged to attend the
meeting and to present comments on the environmental issues they
believe should be addressed in the EA. A transcript of the meeting will
be generated so that your comments will be accurately recorded.
In addition, on July 14, 2009, the FERC staff will conduct a public
site visit to view the proposed facility locations and pipeline route.
Examination will be by automobile and on foot. Representatives of
Perryville will be accompanying the FERC staff. All interested parties
may attend. Those planning to attend must provide their own
transportation and should meet at the Crockett Point Baptist Church at
1 p.m., at the address listed above. For additional information, you
may contact the Commission's Office of External Affairs at 1-866-208-
FERC (3372).
This notice is being sent to affected landowners; Federal, State,
and local government representatives and agencies; elected officials;
environmental and public interest groups; Native American Tribes;
parties to this proceeding; and local libraries and newspapers. State
and local government representatives are asked to notify their
constituents of this proposed project and encourage them to comment on
their areas of concern.
If you are a landowner receiving this notice, you may be contacted
by a pipeline company representative about the acquisition of an
easement to construct, operate, and maintain the proposed facilities.
The company would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable agreement.
However, if the project is approved by the Commission, that approval
conveys with it the right of eminent domain. Therefore, if easement
negotiations fail to produce an agreement, the pipeline company could
initiate condemnation proceedings in accordance with State law.
A fact sheet prepared by the FERC entitled ``An Interstate Natural
Gas Facility On My Land? What Do I Need To Know?'' was attached to the
project notice Perryville provided to landowners. This fact sheet
addresses a number of typically asked questions, including the use of
eminent domain and how to participate in the Commission's proceedings.
It is also available for viewing on the FERC Web site (https://www.ferc.gov).
Summary of the Proposed Project
Perryville requests authorization to construct, own and operate a
new natural gas storage facility in the Crowville Salt Dome, as well as
related facilities in Franklin and Richland Parishes, Louisiana. Upon
completion of the proposed facilities, the Project would provide a
total of 15 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of natural gas storage working
capacity in two salt caverns, with a maximum injection rate of up to
226 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) and a maximum withdrawal rate
of 600 MMcf/d.
According to Perryville, its project would provide necessary gas
infrastructure, add new competitive storage facilities to the U.S.
natural gas market, and support further development of domestic gas
production in the Gulf Coast and Mid-Continent regions.
The Crowville Gas Storage Project would consist of the following
facilities:
Two 7.5 billion cubic feet (Bcf) working gas capacity
natural gas storage caverns connected to 1000 feet of utility corridor
for an 8-inch-diameter freshwater pipeline, an 8-inch-diameter brine
pipeline, a 14-inch-diameter natural gas pipeline, and a permanent
access road;
2.6 miles of 24-inch-diameter pipeline to deliver to
CenterPoint Energy Gas Transmission Company and 11.8 miles of 36-inch-
diameter pipeline to deliver to Columbia Gulf Transmission;
One 9,500 horsepower compressor station facility and
multi-purpose buildings;
Leaching facilities with 0.8 mile of 20-inch-diameter
brine pipeline and 14-inch-diameter freshwater pipeline connecting to
three brine settling ponds;
Two 20-inch-diameter brine disposal pipelines (2.3 miles
and 0.9 mile) connecting to five brine disposal well pads; and
About ten access roads, a wareyard, and four freshwater
supply wells.
The general location of the project facilities is shown in appendix
1.\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ The appendices referenced in this notice are not being
printed in the Federal Register. Copies of appendices were sent to
all those receiving this notice in the mail and are available at
https://www.ferc.gov using the link called ``eLibrary'' or from the
Commission's Public Reference Room, 888 First Street, NE.,
Washington, DC 20426, or call (202) 502-8371. For instructions on
connecting to eLibrary, refer to the last page of this notice.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Land Requirements for Construction
Construction of the Natural Gas Handling Facilities would disturb
about 39 acres, including land for the two storage caverns, the
compressor station, a 100-foot-wide utility corridor, leaching plant,
and 4 freshwater supply wells. The leaching facilities would disturb an
additional 30 acres of land for the brine disposal ponds and brine and
water pipelines. Construction of the brine disposal wells would disturb
a total of 12.7 acres (2.54 acres for each of 5 wells), while operation
of the brine disposal wells would be limited to a total of 1.4 acres
(0.28 acre per well).
The first pipeline corridor would consist of 2.6 miles of a 150-
foot-wide corridor (for two pipelines), while the second corridor would
disturb an additional 9.2 miles of 125-foot-wide corridor. The total
acreage for construction of the pipelines would be about 188 acres.
Following construction, about 88.5 acres would be maintained for 75-
and 60-foot-wide permanent pipeline rights-of-way; the remaining
acreage would be restored and allowed to revert to former uses. About
10 miles of the proposed pipeline route parallels
[[Page 32152]]
an existing Columbia Gulf natural gas pipeline right-of-way.
The EA Process
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires the
Commission to take into account the environmental impacts that could
result from an action whenever it considers the issuance of a
Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity. NEPA also requires us
to discover and address concerns the public may have about proposals.
This process is referred to as ``scoping''. The main goal of the
scoping process is to focus the analysis in the EA on the important
environmental issues. By this notice, the Commission requests public
comments on the scope of the issues to address in the EA. All comments
received will be considered during the preparation of the EA.
In the EA we \2\ will discuss impacts that could occur as a result
of the construction and operation of the proposed project under these
general headings:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ ``We'', ``us'', and ``our'' refer to the environmental staff
of the Commission's Office of Energy Projects.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Geology and soils;
Land use;
Water resources, fisheries, and wetlands;
Cultural resources;
Vegetation and wildlife;
Air quality and noise;
Endangered and threatened species;
Hazardous waste; and
Public safety.
We will also evaluate possible alternatives to the proposed project
or portions of the project, and make recommendations on how to lessen
or avoid impacts on the various resource areas.
Our independent analysis of the issues will be presented in the EA.
Depending on the comments received during the scoping process, the EA
may be published and mailed to those on our environmental mailing list
(see discussion of how to remain on our mailing list on page 6). A
comment period will be allotted for review if the EA is published. We
will consider all comments on the EA before we make our recommendations
to the Commission. To ensure your comments are considered, please
carefully follow the instructions in the Public Participation section
below.
With this notice, we are asking agencies with jurisdiction and/or
special expertise with respect to environmental issues to formally
cooperate with us in the preparation of the EA. These agencies may
choose to participate once they have evaluated the proposal relative to
their responsibilities. Agencies that would like to request cooperating
agency status should follow the instructions for filing comments
provided under the Public Participation section of this notice.
Public Participation
You can make a difference by providing us with your specific
comments or concerns about the project. Your comments should focus on
the potential environmental effects, reasonable alternatives, and
measures to avoid or lessen environmental impacts. The more specific
your comments, the more useful they will be. To ensure that your
written comments are timely and properly recorded, please send in your
comments so that they will be received in Washington, DC on or before
July 27, 2009.
For your convenience, there are three methods which you can use to
submit your written comments to the Commission. The Commission
encourages electronic filing of comments and has expert eFiling staff
available to assist you at 202-502-8258 or efiling@ferc.gov.
(1) You may file your comments electronically by using the Quick
Comment feature, which is located at https://www.ferc.gov under the link
called ``Documents and Filings''. A Quick Comment is an easy method for
interested persons to submit text-only comments on a project;
(2) You may file your comments electronically by using the
``eFiling'' feature that is listed under the ``Documents and Filings''
link. eFiling involves preparing your submission in the same manner as
you would if filing on paper, and then saving the file on your
computer's hard drive. You will attach that file to your submission.
New eFiling users must first create an account by clicking on the links
called ``Sign up'' or ``eRegister''. You will be asked to select the
type of filing you are making. A comment on a particular project is
considered a ``Comment on a Filing''; or
(3) You may file your comments with the Commission via mail by
sending an original and two copies of your letter to: Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, NE.,
Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
In all instances, please reference the project docket number CP09-
418-000 with your submission. Label one copy of the comments for the
attention of Gas Branch 2, PJ-11.2.
Environmental Mailing List
An effort is being made to send this notice to all individuals,
organizations, and government entities interested in and/or potentially
affected by the proposed project. This includes all landowners who are
potential right-of-way grantors, whose property may be used temporarily
for project purposes, or who own homes within certain distances of
aboveground facilities (as defined in the Commission's regulations).
If you do not want to send comments at this time but still want to
remain on our mailing list, please return the Information Request
(appendix 2). If you do not return the Information Request, you will be
taken off the mailing list.
Becoming an Intervenor
In addition to involvement in the EA scoping process, you may want
to become an ``intervenor,'' which is an official party to the
Commission's proceeding. Intervenors play a more formal role in the
process and are able to file briefs, appear at hearings, and be heard
by the courts if they choose to appeal the Commission's final ruling.
An intervenor formally participates in the proceeding by filing a
request to intervene. Instructions for becoming an intervenor are
included in the User's Guide under the ``e-filing'' link on the
Commission's Web site.
Additional Information
Additional information about the project is available from the
Commission's Office of External Affairs, at 1-866-208-FERC or on the
Internet at https://www.ferc.gov using the ``eLibrary'' link. Click on
the eLibrary link, click on ``General Search'' and enter the docket
number, excluding the last three digits, in the Docket Number field. Be
sure you have selected an appropriate date range. For assistance,
please contact FERC Online Support at FercOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or
toll free at 1-866-208-3676, or for TTY, contact (202)502-8659. The
eLibrary link also provides access to the texts of formal documents
issued by the Commission, such as orders, notices, and rulemakings.
In addition, the Commission now offers a free service called
eSubscription which allows you to keep track of all formal issuances
and submittals in specific dockets. This can reduce the amount of time
you spend researching proceedings by automatically providing you with
notification of these filings, document summaries and direct links to
the documents. Go to https://www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm.
[[Page 32153]]
Finally, public meetings or site visits will be posted on the
Commission's calendar located at https://www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx along with other related information.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E9-15898 Filed 7-6-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P